Dad of 3 Drowns Saving 5 From Rip Current

A Georgia man is being remembered for his heroism after he drowned while rescuing five swimmers caught in a rip current off Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Authorities say Chase Childers, 38, entered the water on Sunday afternoon along with another person when they saw a family struggling in the surf. Police received a call about swimmers in distress just before 5pm, and a search began after one person was reported missing, reports ABC News. Childers' body was recovered about 90 minutes later.

Childers, who had previously played minor league baseball in the Baltimore Orioles' organization and served as a police officer, died after helping the family reach safety. "He died trying to save others," local police said in a statement. His family expressed their shock and grief, calling his death a "heroic act" and noting the pain of his loss is "incredibly hard to grasp and profoundly unfair." Childers leaves behind his wife and three children; he would have turned 39 next month.

The incident highlights the dangers of rip currents and the risks rescuers face, even those with experience and training. Law enforcement officials tell People that it's the fifth drowning on the island in two years, and the second in a months. A GoFundMe in Childers' name had surpassed $102,000 as of Thursday morning.